Recounts may happen either automatically or by request in a Neighborhood Council election. Whenever there is a contest where the number of votes separating candidates for a given seat is 10% or less of the total votes cast in that contest, EmpowerLA Elections staff conduct a recount automatically.
Recounts may also be conducted by request. However, in order for a request to be accepted for action, recount requests and the stakeholder(s) making them must follow the parameters outlined below.
How and when a recount request must be made
Recount requests must be received by 5 pm on the third calendar day after an election takes place, and they are supervised by a Council’s IEA (Independent Election Administrator.)
Requests must be made in writing, and may be requested either for a specific contest over a certain seat, or for an entire election for a specific Council.
Who may request a recount?
In order to request a recount, the stakeholder(s) making the request must have voted in the election in question, and they must verify their identity and stakeholder status with the same sort of photo ID and other qualifying documents that were used to verify them as voters in that election. (Copies of personal documents are not kept on file once a voter has been verified, so these items will need to be re-submitted in order to validate the recount request.)
How and when a recount takes place
Recounts happen within five (5) City of LA business days following the receipt and acceptance of a recount request. All candidates for the Board or seat(s) being recounted will be notified, and in addition, a notice announcing the date, time, and location of the recount will be posted to both the EmpowerLA website as well as to the website of the Neighborhood Council involved.
All recounts are open to the public, provided that observers do not interfere with or attempt to influence in any way the persons conducting the recount.
When and how are recount results available?
Once the recount results are available, the IEA for that election will certify these results, and forward them to both the Neighborhood Council receiving the recount as well as to EmpowerLA. Results of an election are only considered to be changed if the identity of any person(s) who had initially been declared elected changes.
This information may also be found in the Neighborhood Council Election Manual.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
